Sustainable infrastructure, Housing for All to drive demand for cement and concrete

Leading cement and concrete players are on track to end this year on a positive note. Whereas demand for cement grew 6 per cent in FY2018, it grew 14 per cent between April and September 2018. <p></p> <p>ACC has recorded 8 per cent growth in cement sale volumes this year, on the back of higher demand, and 17 per cent growth in ready-mix concrete sales volumes, due to the addition of eight new plants across the country and an increase in the sale of value-added products (ACC Flowcrete self-compacting concrete, ACC Ecocrete for green construction, ACC Supercrete high strength and high performance concrete, ACC Jet-setcrete high early strength concrete and ACC Suraksha for durable slabs). </p> <p>&quot;The economic upswing in 2018, supported by buoyant consumption, a normal monsoon and uptick in rural demand, appear to be factors behind the improved demand,&quot; says <span style="font-weight: bold;">B Sridhar, Chief Commercial Officer, ACC.</span> </p> <p>&quot;2018 has been a good year for us,&quot; says Anil Banchhor, Managing Director &amp; CEO, RDC Concrete (India). &quot;We saw 58 per cent growth, mainly on the back of demand for cement for affordable housing projects, infra projects in metros and highway construction.&quot;</p> <p>Affirming the &quot;upward trend in the demand for cement,&quot; <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ashwani Pahuja, Chief Sustainability Officer, Dalmia Cement (Bharat)</span>, attributes this to &quot;increasing demand for ready-mix concrete in urban areas, pre-mix dry concrete and mortar mixes, precast solutions for mass housing, fly-ash bricks and new-age ternary blend composite cement (composite cement) from the housing, commercial and industrial segments.&quot;</p> <p>The ongoing momentum is expected to sustain albeit some areas will perform better than others.</p> <p>&quot;We expect cement demand to continue to be positive, driven by the government's 'Housing for All' programme, sustained infrastructure spends and rural housing,&quot; says Sridhar.</p> <p>&quot;States in the East and the North-East would be the go-to places for cement companies to explore,&quot; says Pahuja. &quot;We have a keen focus in these areas with operational plants in Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar.&quot;</p> <p> <span style="font-weight: bold;">- CHARU BAHRI</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">To share your views on the market for Cement and Concrete in India, write in at feedback@ConstructionWorld.in</span></p>